A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting in the back of my
open vehicle under a massive baobab tree, staring across the vast expanse of a
tiny portion of Ruaha National Park. A lone antenna on a far away hill beamed
an unreliable cell-phone signal that allowed me to send various emails and of
course the occasional instagram photo (and to call my lovely wife). Around me
the grass was green and the sky a Polaroid blue interrupted only by a few cumulus
clouds. Woodland kingfishers reestablished their territories, and flocks of
Eurasian bee-eaters and rollers patrolled the skies feasting on the termite
irruptions, joined by other migrants such as Amur falcons and kestrels.

The lilies bloom.

Seven weeks prior, I arrived in Ruaha to begin the second
round of training rangers. The Pilatus flew over the Ruaha River, or what used
to be the Great Ruaha River. Unregulated rice farming upstream and an illegally
overgrazed, but now recovering, Usangu swamp have reduced the river to a few
pools of hippo dung-infested water. The animal trails were clear when we flew
over and spread like nerve ganglia from any form of drinking water. Ash lay in
white shapes against the red earth, evidence of trees that had burned in grass
fires, reminiscent of the chalk drawings used to outline bodies at crime
scenes.

The temperature must have been close to 40 degrees Celsius,
and the sun unbearable. Even with the windshield down as we drove to camp, the
hot blasts of air did little to cool the body. It was pretty clear that the
next few weeks were going to be intense. The harsh light and dust in the air
immediately forced a squint that would become so permanent for the next weeks
that I developed squint-tan lines across my forehead.

Appreciating comfort zones, these elephants were unaware of our presence.

Building storms accentuated the heat, hinting at relief, but
it wasn’t until well into the course that it finally did rain. The seasons do
not change in East Africa as they do in the temperate climates. Instead of
gradual changes, season changes here are striking distinct events, the zenith
of a build up. There’s not half-rain between dry season and wet season, or a
half dry between dry and wet season. It is a sudden thunderstorm that leaves
you soaked and shivering when only half an hour ago you couldn’t drink enough
to keep up with your perspiration.

A wild ginger.

That first rain is one of the most beautiful moments you can
have in the bush. The bush becomes silent, and then the violent raindrops fall,
bouncing off the hardened ground. If you go out you’ll notice that none of the
animals take cover. Instead they expose themselves, the water washing off
months of accumulated dust. Within a couple of days, buds appear on the trees, and
little cracks appear in the ground as grass sprouts push through the earth. The
next morning, the dry season silence is broken before dawn by migrant birds
arriving, and a great weight is lifted while the impala fawns dance. Baby
elephants run around trumpeting, no longer stumbling behind their mothers.

Like a fresh breath of air.

Within a week, lilies are flowering and the baobabs go from
bare grey branches to dark green leaf. It is an amazing time for training as
new life is visible and obvious. Insects that could not survive the dry season
irrupt in unbelievable numbers, if only for their ecological role as food for
the birds that begin their breeding. Other animals that may not be considered
so pleasant also appear. Centipedes, scorpions, and massive spiders patrol the
nights- but it’s all part of a big web of interconnectivity that keeps the
wilderness wild and healthy. The contrast of obligate, fragile and intricate connections
is easier appreciated on foot. The sense of immersion and vulnerability is far
more appealing than watching lions sleeping under a tree from the safety of a
4x4. These are among the things that the training course was attempting to
teach.

A young leopard tortoise emerges from aestivation after the first rains.

The training we conducted this year built on the training
conducted in January: 20 participants, five days Advanced Wilderness First Aid,
10 days firearms training, and two weeks of walking emphasizing safety
including dealing with potentially dangerous game. This November we added two
weeks of identification, interpretation and further firearms training.

Marksmanship and weapons handling on the firing range with Mark Radloff.

Dr. Amol gives expert instruction in Swahili & English.

Andrew Molinaro goes through the drills- "what happens when an animal does charge"?

Simon Peterson on shot placement- "as a last resort, where are you going to shoot to stop a charging hippo"?

It is a misconception that participating in a guiding course
will equip you with in-depth knowledge. Even individuals with advanced academic
degrees struggle in identification unless they have extensive field experience.
However, the foundations can be laid, seeds of curiosity planted, and skills
established enabling and encouraging a student in the right direction. It would
be extremely arrogant for us “experts” to not admit that we are learning every
day.

For a long time references to Mwiba could only be found on
this blog, and then later a friend’s blog. It is a place I love for the freedom
that it offers and lots of little surprises. On a recent trip I guided we ended
perfectly with two nights at Mwiba Tented Camp or not quite both nights at the
camp.

Driving around in the open vehicle I was delighted to find
herds of impala that would normally have exploded into different directions as
we approached, and herds of buffalo that would have been a cloud of dust,
staring at us and not running from the vehicle. The hangover from heavy hunting
is slowly subsiding, we were able to watch a breeding herd of notoriously
aggressive Maswa elephants as they only briefly formed their protective
formation before relaxing and continuing to feed. Warthogs stared at us from
respective distances without running and even kudu didn’t disappear as soon as
we saw them.

An elephant behaving the way an elephant should- without fear or aggression.

Of course the wildlife is still not as great as in the core
areas of some of the national parks, but it is still full of wonderful little
surprises such as the envied sighting of a pangolin. If you’re not familiar
with the Pangolin, it is a really special animal and this is only the second
time that I’ve seen one. You can read more about them on my previous post and here.

The Pangolin- a scaly anteater, normally nocturnal!

However, my love for Mwiba is more about the ability to
create magic. While Tanzania’s wildlife is exceptional in national parks, the
necessary rules and regulations can be restrictive. Mwiba allows you to do
whatever you want, within the bounds of guiding ethics and etiquette.

Sitting around the fire watching the sun go down on the
first night, I challenged the guests- would they be able to sleep under the
stars on the same rock we were sitting, listening to hyenas and the distant
territorial roar of a lion. The next evening after a beautiful walk to the top
of a rocky outcrop we arrived at our sleep out.

Sundowners. One of the great safari traditions. Being outside National Parks allows enjoying them into the night without curfews to worry about.

Now you have to imagine arriving behind a small rocky
outcrop. Its already dark and you can’t see anything. You can hear the African
night and the murmur of voices. You are led over the top of the rock and there
before you is a beautiful fire and candle lit barbecue- the smallest details
attended to, down to fine silverware and fancy-folded napkins on the table.
Moving to the fire after dinner the tables disappeared and out came the
bedrolls. Then the car is taken away and you’re left staring at the sky
listening to the crackle of the fire. It is magical.

One of the struggles that I face when planning itineraries
is the balance between visiting areas with great wildlife concentrations and at
the same time avoiding areas plagued with tour operators and safari vehicles.

The waterhole in front of the lodge attracts a huge variety and number of animals. This place would work great as a luxurious break or strenuous trip.

On a trip that I should have blogged about 2 months ago, our
itinerary included a few challenging nights at the Four Seasons in Serengeti
National Park. On this particular itinerary, the Four Seasons made sense, but if
you understand my style of guiding you’ll understand that I place a huge
emphasis on the experience of safari- the wildlife, vistas, and on the magic
that the African bush can create. Now, while the Four Seasons service and view
was, well, Four Seasons worthy, but despite its killer view, its location made
it quite a challenge to offer the safari experience I believe in. Being one and
a half hours away on a very corrugated transit road from the core of Serengeti
known as the Seronera valley, I cringed at the thought of having to transit
3hrs a day to have a good wildlife experience so I broke the rules* and went
exploring.

*
Whatever some of the camps and safari operators tell you on green-washed
websites, driving off-road is not allowed in Serengeti National Park. I love
being off-road and justify where I do it, how I do it, and when I do it because
I also care about the environment. I will never off-road in a core area because
it is not environmentally sound, but there are too many drivers who do not have
the same environmental understanding or ethic.

With all the other vehicles driving to Seronera from the
Four Seasons, I decided it might be ok to sneak around and took a little track,
and still within sight of the lodge found 3 leopards blending into a rocky
outcrop. Our explorations later took me to this beautiful spot and this photo
might evoke an atmosphere of beauty, adventure, and solitude.

Alone in the Serengeti. A Ficus sycamorus on the edge of a seasonal river that attracts a lot of game.

Every year, come June, the clouds clear and the dry season
is on us. It drizzles in Arusha, and mornings at Ngorongoro are like a dream
with fog enveloping the trees and only lifting towards midday. Convoys of
safari vehicles heading on conventional itineraries stream out of town, and
small-plane pilots who have been on standby are suddenly working maximum hours.

Instead of frolicking in lush green grass, animals,
particularly herbivores and their young are now making daily treks to a few
remaining seasonal ponds, or have migrated to more permanent water courses. There’s
still grass on the plains and it hasn’t been totally bleached by the sun, the
skies are blue, and the faint wisps of smoke rising in the distance signal the
burning season in the Serengeti.

Prides of lions that have scattered through their territory
because the benefit of having a small kill like a warthog to yourself outweigh
the cost of hunting alone, gather together again, reestablishing their bonds
and territories and eagerly lying in ambush where animals must come drink. The
massive crocodiles of the Grumeti and Mara rivers slide into the still waters,
elicited by the vibrations of hundreds of thousands of hooves like Pavlov’s
dinner bell.

Ostrich eeeeeeggs!

There is so much on safari that can’t be planned. Whether
it’s finding an ostrich egg that’s just been laid in the center of 23 others,
or arriving at a camp when there isn’t a wildebeest in sight and waking up in
the morning to find a front of wildebeest a half-million strong marching like a
determined army. Whether a leopard will be in the tree is out of the hands of
the guide, which is part of the adventure, part of the freedom that draws some
of us to fall so deeply in love with the bush.

How much more luxurious does it need to get?

Every safari is completely
different and I don’t blog frequently enough to be able to go into the details
of each safari, but the first three safaris of the season proved just that. The
first safari involved making sure that a family would have a smooth experience
in a mobile camp before heading to the world’s best hotel- Sasakwa.

The next safari was designed
to maximize 5 days of wildlife viewing. As you’ll know if you’ve read more of
my blogs, I value the wilderness experience above the luxury experience. We
began by ticking off Ngorongoro Crater because the reality is that as busy as
it is, it is a spectacular wildlife destination. Combined with a visit to a
Maasai boma and you learn about one of the most imminent wildlife conservation
issues- massive population growth expanding into wilderness.

It's just beautiful.

The wildlife in the crater is so habituated to vehicles that it offers fantastic wildlife photographic opportunities... these photos were all taken with iPhone.

Maasai...

Following this we jumped on a
plane and flew to Sayari Camp in northern Serengeti. This camp is one of my
favorites and goes back to when I worked for Asilia and Sayari was just a
mobile camp. It's obviously changed a lot but continues to offer a first class
wildlife experience especially when I’m guiding and when I chose to come.

Who wouldn't want to swim here?

And how can you beat this breakfast... (NB. the only breakfast you should have in camp is on the last day)

The front of wildebeest...

The wildebeest migration
accelerated this year and while there were thousands of wildebeest on the
plains at the mobile camp on the first safari, the tsunami of wildebeest had
moved further north. We arrived just the day before they arrived and the next day
spent the morning listening to the incessant gnuing of tens of thousands of
wildebeest as they moved into the area.

‘At its
best, interpretation is a whisper in the visitor’s ear. It suggests ways
of looking, plants seeds that may take root in the field of a visitor’s own
thoughts, while leaving them free to explore for themselves.’ James Carter

As the guide
training season draws to a close, I thought I would share a few highlights and
thoughts on my guide training philosophy and what I actually do during guide
training.

From the 2nd
of April until the 1st of May, my home became a tent, as it often
does. My tools include: a duffel of clothes, a flashlight, my binoculars, a
trunk of books and various toys, from UV lights, to laser pointers, and i-phone
apps. This month my training was exclusively for Asilia Lodges & Camps, a
company that invests a small fortune in its guides.

Together with
Lewis Mangaba, a distinguished guide from Zimbabwe with phenomenal knowledge,
and 16 “trainees”, we set off to try to gain an understanding of how the world works.
The month’s focus was to spend as much time in situ, learning ecological concepts and attempting to apply them to what we
could find and what we could physically see. The abundance and diversity of
what we call “charismatic wildlife” are incredible in this country, but all too
often become the sole focus of a safari. You don’t have to watch too many David
Attenborough documentaries to learn that nature is full of wonderful, weird,
and crazy things going on - let alone on the savannahs of East Africa. It is
our goal to influence guides to reveal and unravel some of these intricacies
for their guests.

Lewis, inspiring.

During the past
years I’ve been fortunate to co-train with various guides and as we draw near
to the end of the training we realize how much we’ve learned from each other.
Sometimes, it is just a different perspective or way of seeing something, but
often it’s also an inspiration to learn more and discover more.

A dung beetle, forming a brood ball... do you have any idea how much dung we'd be wading through if it weren't for these little guys?

Grass identification.

But, all of
this focuses on natural history and that’s not what guiding is all about, which
is one of my major criticisms of the guide training/certification industry. Of
course, it is necessary to have a baseline knowledge of
ecology and to be able to identify most of the species of animals that you come
across, but there’s so much more to guiding. At the very foundation, there’s
plain and simple safety, and you’d be surprised at how many guides do not have adequate
and up to date first aid knowledge, let alone certification.

A track- 3 lobed pad, claw marks... this is a special cat.

This year’s
training did not just involve the 16 “trainees,” who Lewis and I spent the
whole time with, but an additional 43 guides from Asilia’s portfolio of camps
in Kenya and Tanzania joined to get a valuable Wilderness Advanced First Aid
certification and to take another course- Adaptive Human Behavior and Client
Care. This interesting course was developed by Robin Peterson after an the
initial 3 day course Myers Briggs course into what is now a 5-day level 1 and
5-day level 2 course. Not only does this course improve the guide’s ability to
interact communicate effectively with the guests, but a guide’s life is
improved being armed with a toolkit to deal with the many human relationships
that they have at work and home. In addition to this course, they spent a day
each with a hosting coach, behavioral ecologist, 2 bird guides and a
photographer who coached them on how to use a camera.

Squeezing a little ash out of an eye-dropper to get the
subtle direction of the wind, a national park ranger chose his route.
Approximately a hundred yards away a group of 4 elephant bulls were drinking
water from a sand river having dug holes for sand-filtered water. Behind him 5
other rangers walked in single file together with a trainer.

Choosing his path carefully and using the river bank as
cover, the ranger led his group toward the elephants. He eyed a spot
approximately 25 yards from the elephants, downwind from them and with a good
view, and he motioned with his hands to hunker down and follow his lead. After rechecking
the wind, he relaxed and the group stood and watched, some of them kneeling as
the elephants drank their fill. As they finished and silently began to move
away, the ranger also rose and led his group away.

Meanwhile, a few kilometers away, another ranger was
deciding where the safest place was to enjoy views of another small group of
bulls that were moving toward another section of river. Finding a termite mound
next to a big baobab tree with a good view, he stopped his group to watch the
elephants walking by.

Simon Peterson and rangers discussing the approach.

These are two examples of over a hundred and twenty elephant
approaches led by a group of 20 rangers in Tanzania’s remote Ruaha National
Park as part of a training program I coordinated. During a Wilderness Advanced
First Aid course led by Hewett Brown (A Wilderness Medical Associates
instructor with Savanna Medics), the rangers learned Tanzania appropriate first
aid skills not only to deal with emergencies and respond accordingly, but to
recognize risky situations and prevent potential problems.

Getting ready for practice.

Simulated injuries.

Armed with their new found first aid skills, the rangers next
participated in a firearms course. Familiar with automatic anti-personnel
weapons used in anti-poaching patrols, the safe use of heavy caliber rifles
used in walking safaris needed separate training as well as practice simulating
charging animals. Under the guidance of Mark Radloff, a seasoned instructor,
the rangers were put through drills to build muscle memory and improve their
shooting.

Recovered bullets from the respective ammo.

Dry fire- practicing trigger control and sight picture.

Some ballistics theory.

With the knowledge that the
rangers could deal with the medical aspects of an accident, and the knowledge
that they could handle heavy caliber rifles safely and shoot accurately, we set
off to try to ensure that they’d never have to actually use the first aid
skills or ever have to shoot an animal. We covered all aspects of walking from
necessary equipment, client briefings, walking formations, accidental
encounters, and potentially dangerous animal behavior. We also practiced
leading walks, being back-up ranger, and recognizing opportunities to provide
unforgettable experiences all the while remaining safe.

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by Nicol Ragland Photography

Identity

I am a guide and guide trainer working in East Africa. I love adventure and the solitude and peace that comes from being in the wilderness. It has led me on a search to learn as much as I can about the larger forces and concepts, as well as little intricacies and beauties in nature. I am a strong believer in conservation that is sustainable and that recognizes indigenous and other people's rights.